NJ Abuse Survivor Changing Lives With Protection Dogs

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — According to Kelly Sutliff, her ex-husband strangling her, forcing a knife to her throat, throwing her head through a sheet rock wall, and trying to force-feed her a deadly amount of Xanax was just “the tip of the iceberg.”

Following the traumatizing event, Sutliff would go on to live in fear. With her ex-husband stalking her, she was afraid to go outside and was uneasy around people, especially strangers, she said.

Sutliff, adding that the criminal justice system failed to protect her, lived in terror for years. That is, until July, 2020, when she met her first protection dog, Stella.

“At first, I was ignorant of protection dogs; I didn’t really know that ‘regular people’ could have them,” she said. “I thought it was just military, as well as police.”

Feeling that her life was at risk and that she was running out of options, Sutliff reached out to Bobby Gierla of the Metro K9 Academy in Randolph. Gierla told her he had a furry friend she needed to meet.

“(Stella) sat right next to me while I pet her, and a stranger started to approach us. I guess she could feel my energy… At that point in my life, I was really wary of people I knew, but also didn’t know, especially men,” Sutliff said. “She must’ve felt that energy. She just leaned her body against my left leg and then put her paw over my ankle. In that moment, it was like she was saying, ‘I’ve got you now, it’s okay.’”

It was then that Sutliff decided that Stella would be her protector and took her home less than a month later.

“I knew then this was my dog,” Sutliff told Patch. “I brought her home with me, and it truly changed the course of my entire life, as well as my healing journey. I really felt like it wasn’t until Stella came home with me that I really started to live my life again.”

While Stella was already a trained protection dog, Sutliff “fell in love” with additional training. She said working with Stella and Gierla at Metro K9 Academy gave her a sense of “empowerment, confidence,” and a “passion for life.”

“I started to trust again, not only other people, but really myself,” she said. “Bringing her home really started to give me back, not only my life, but a sense of freedom.”

It was in 2024, after filming an episode of “Toxic,” a television show that documents real stories of abusive and toxic relationships, that Sutliff decided she wanted to do more for other women in her shoes.

“I wanted to give back to other survivors what these dogs have given to me,” she said.

Kelly’s K9s: Tails of Courage

In October 2024, Sutliff launched “Kelly’s K9s: Tails of Courage,” a nonprofit dedicated to pairing protection dogs with survivors of sexual and domestic abuse.

Working in tandem with Metro K9 Academy, the organization works to train and match dogs, mainly German Shepherds and Dobermans, with survivors who feel they need protection.

Not only do Kelly’s K9s match people with Metro K9 Academy-bred protection dogs, but as of this year, it trains some dogs already owned by the survivors.

“We wanted to be able to reach even more survivors… We found a lot of survivors already have their own dogs, and really, some of them have gotten dogs because of what they’ve been through,” Sutliff said. “So now, in addition to providing a survivor with a trained protection dog, we are also evaluating a survivor's own dog.”

If a survivor’s own dog has the characteristics of a protection dog, which include being play-driven, social, and motivated, Kelly’s K9s will pay for the training to become a certified protection dog. Sutliff added that there is no specific breed that Kelly’s K9s won’t work with, so long as it displays the characteristics of a trainable protection dog.

“These dogs don’t only provide physical safety, they really provide emotional safety as well,” Sutliff told Patch. “I think that’s so important for someone going through a domestic violence situation. Not only do we need physical support and safety, but we need emotional support as well… All the survivors I’ve worked with, there’s been a common theme of ‘I’m taking my life back.’”

So far, Kelly’s K9s has helped seven survivors, both in and out of state. The nonprofit provides people with a dog, which is worth about $25,000, and training completely for free.

Once the dog is taken to the survivor's home and the weeks of training are complete, the survivor will become responsible for pet-related costs, including food and veterinary care. Sutliff hopes to grow Kelly’s K9s so the nonprofit can assist with these costs.

The group strongly relies on funds from generous donors. To learn more about how to donate, click here.

“This is my passion… I really feel like everything I’ve been through has put me into a place in life where I was always meant to be,” Sutliff said. “It’s so healing for me to watch other survivors take their lives back through these dogs… You can go through the worst time of your life, and I know what that feels like… But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I feel like I’m living proof of that. Healing is possible, peace is possible, and safety is possible.

“I hope my story sends that message to other people, especially domestic violence survivors, because we often don’t think there’s a light on the other side of trauma, and there certainly is,” she added.

There is a Kelly's K9s open house and fundraiser on June 6 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Hanover Township Community Center, located at 15 North Jefferson Road in Whippany. The program, sponsored by the Hanover Township Mayor’s Wellness Campaign, will feature food trucks, protection dog demonstrations, vendors, kids’ activities, and more.

Click here to learn more about Kelly’s K9s, and check back with Patch for more information on the open house as it approaches.